1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to earphones, and more. specifically to those earphones capable of being independently secured to each ear.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many users of small portable radio or tape players often have difficulty with the earphones. Joggers or other persons engaged in athletic activities find that the earphones have a tendency to slip or fall out. To solve this problem the users would use earphones that either completely block the ear canal or fit tightly within the ear canal. This can cause damage to the user's hearing while also preventing the user from hearing surrounding noise. The inability to hear surrounding noise is dangerous both to an outdoors athlete and a person driving a vehicle while listening to a radio or tape player. In addition, most present headsets are designed for the user to place an earphone in each ear.
Persons not engaged in athletic activity still face some of the same problems listed above. They also worry about earphones that tend to slip out easily or do not dependably stay in place. In addition, such users also worry about headsets which have a tendency to become entangled within or otherwise disturb the styling of their hair.
Thus, both athletic and non-athletic users would appreciate having a headset suited for use during cold weather while allowing quick and easy affixation of an earmuff to the earphone. Such an adaption would allow comfortable use of the headset during cold weather. Accordingly, there is a need for an earphone that is convenient, easy to place on and remove, while being able to accommodate earmuffs thereon.
Earphone and clamping devices have been described in the patent literature. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,303,961 issued on Dec. 1, 1942 to Sprague discloses a clothespin which can be easily applied to a garment and attached to a line.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,666,973 issued on Jan. 26, 1954 to Mosley discloses a clamping attachment for earrings having a clamping head which presents a relatively large bearing surface to an ear lobe in order to prevent injury or discomfort when brought into clamping engagement.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,050 issued on Jun. 5, 1984 to Enokido discloses an improved earphone having a transducer within its housing, and a curved lever for engaging the ear. The transducer is spaced an appropriate distance for radiating sound into the ear, and can be aligned relative to an angle of the ear without placing excessive pressure on the ear.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,898 issued on Apr. 7, 1987 to Ishikawa discloses a removable ear muff for headphones. The ear muff is constructed with a support cup that is covered by fabric, wool, or other material which engages and partially surrounds the ear of the wearer to keep it warm in cold weather.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,052 issued on Jun. 5, 1990 to Lo discloses a self-adjusting headset-handset combination which includes a cylindrical speaker housing that fits into the pinna and contains a speaker.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,736 issued on May 2, 1995 to Keliiliki discloses an earphone capable of secure carriage on the ear of a user, even during vigorous physical activity. The earphone includes a lightweight audio speaker supported on a flexible, open-looped earpiece ergonomically tailored to cradle the ear without significant resilient deformation.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 242,724 issued on Dec. 14, 1976 to Brodie discloses an ornamental design for a headset, while U.S. Pat. No. Des. 350,757 issued on Sep. 20, 1994 to Carpenter discloses an ornamental design for a clip-on earphone.
German Pat. Nos. 3,233,375 issued on August 1984 and 353,758 issued on May 1922 both disclose earphones capable of being supported on the ear.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.